Game of the Week Preview: Battle of New York with Rangers at Islanders

It’s the Battle of New York as the New York Rangers (37-18-1, 75 pts) take on the New York Islanders (25-20-10, 60 pts) tonight. There’s a lot of games going on, but if your team isn’t playing, you may want to watch this one.

In their last game, the Islanders held off the Rangers in a 4-2 win. Jaroslav Halak was in net for the Isles, but he is now down in the AHL backstopping the Sound Tigers.

The Rangers last played Monday night, a come-from-behind win to beat the Blue Jackets 3-2. Kevin Hayes had a goal and an assist, while Jimmy Vesey scored the game-winning goal in the 3rd period. Antti Raanta stopped 30 of 32 shots for his 11th win of the season. They’re looking to extend their winning streak to seven games.

On the other hand, the Isles got stomped on by the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, with a score of 7-1. The only goal scored was by Jason Chimera on a penalty shot. Thomas Greiss was pulled after stopping 28 of 34 shots, and Jean-Francois Berube let in one goal on 7 shots. The Isles will want to come back from that harsh loss with a solid win over the Rangers to move closer to a playoff spot.

Thomas Greiss will be in net for the Islanders.

Normally, you would say the Islanders would most likely win this game, because Halak has the Rangers number. But since he’s down in the AHL, this game is for either team to win. The Rangers have been playing really well lately, finding ways to win games. The Islanders are coming off their worst lost of the season, preceded by getting shutout by the Senators. So, the points are up in the air. It’s just a matter of who’s willing to work their butts off to win the game.

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